The present invention relates to an electric wire connector and electric wire arrangement, in which the conductor of each of two electric wires which are inserted into an axially extended wire hole in a cylindrical casing from two opposite ends is immediately and respectively held down by a metal retaining plate in the casing, and maintained in contact with a metal contact in the casing.
When arranging electric wires in a room, two electric wires may have to be electrically connected. When connecting two electric wires, the insulator layer at each electric wire is propery cut off, enabling the conductor of each electric wire to be exposed to the outside, so that the conductor of one electric wire can be fastened to the conductor of the other. After connection of the conductors of the two electric wires, an insulative tape is used to wrap the connecting area between the electric wires. This procedure is complicated. Further, if the insulative tape is softened due to hot weather, the electric wires may be disconnected from each other when stretched.
The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. According to one aspect of the present invention, the electric wire connector and electric wire arrangement comprises a cylindrical casing, the cylindrical casing having an axially extended wire hole,, and first and second longitudinal positioning grooves disposed in the wire hole at bottom and top sides an axially extended to one end thereof, two electric wires respectively inserted into the wire hole from two opposite ends of the casing, and a metal retaining plate mounted in the first longitudinal positioning groove inside casing to hold the conductor means of the electric wires in close contact with the metal contact plate, the metal retaining plate having a flat, elongated base portion mounted in the first longitudinal positioning groove, and two retaining portions extended upwardly obliquely from two opposite ends of the base portion and respectively pressed on the conductor means of the electric wire against the metal contact plate. According to another aspect of the present invention, the casing further comprises a first stop edge at one end of the first longitudinal positioning groove which stops one end of the metal retaining plate, a second stop edge at one end of the second longitudinal positioning groove which stops one end of said metal contact plate, two locating grooves respectively and axially extended to the distal ends thereof in reversed directions and disposed in communication with the wire hole through the first longitudinal positioning groove, the locating grooves each having an inner end terminating in a respective stop edge, the metal retaining plate further comprises a hooked portion downwardly raised from the base portion and hooked on the stop edge at one end of one of the locating grooves, and two shoulder portions respectively connected between the base portion and the retaining portions, one of the shoulder portions being stopped at the first stop edge at one end of the first longitudinal positioning groove. According to still another aspect of the present invention, the metal contact plate comprises two elongated dents of smoothly arched cross section longitudinally extended in reversed directions to two distal ends thereof, which receive the conductor means of the first electric wire and the second electric wire, and a stop strip portion downwardly raised from a bottom side wall thereof between the elongated dents, which separates the conductor means of the first electric wire from the conductor means of the second electric wire. According to still another aspect of the present invention, the insulator layer of the first electric wire and the insulator layer of the second electric wire each have a part respectively engaged into the two opposite ends of the wire hole in the casing. In an alternate form of the present invention, the casing is made having multiple wire holes for holding multiple pairs of electric wires, each wire hole having installed therein one metal contact plate and one metal retaining plate for holding the conductors of the respective pair of electric wires in an electrically connected position.